Some recent items from the Scottish Government and Parliament

Draft National Guidance: Under-Age Sexual Activity – Meeting the needs of Children and Young People and Identifying Child Protection Concerns: Consultation – Consultation is open until 23rd July 2010. It is estimated that approx. 25-30% of children under the age of 16 engage in sexual activitity, not all of which should be treated as a child protection issue, but simply part of natural development. This consultation looks at ways to address the needs of children under either circumstance.

In-Court Mediation Pilot Projects – In-court mediation pilots ran in Sherriff Courts in Glasgow and Aberdeen between March 2006 and July 2008, an initiative followed through by the Scottish Government. This research on the projects was carried out by researchers at the University of Aberdeen Law School

Independent School Census, September 2009 – a National Statistics publication which covers independent primary, secondary and special schools

Racist Incidents Recorded by the Police in Scotland, 2004-05 to 2008-09 – statistical bulletin which presents data on number of racist incidents recorded by the eight police forces in Scotland in 2008-09

Unemployment (SPICe Briefing 10-26) – latest unemployment data for Scottish Parliamentary constituency areas. Highlights the best and worst performing areas over previous month.